Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Hercules’

ABSTRACT

A  chyrsanthemum  plant named ‘Hercules’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with red ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Hercules’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Hercules’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in August 2001. The seedling resulted from the crossing of the female parent, 22.0296, with a mixed population of chrysanthemum plants serving as male parents. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 18-23 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 30 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with red ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Hercules’ is ‘Dark Grenadine’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,632). When ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are (1) Flower size. The flowers of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are larger in size than those of ‘Hercules’ (2) Color ray florets. The ray florets of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are less red than ‘Hercules’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Hercules’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Hercules’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 1 cm, height 1 cm Outside color Yellow-green 147D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among Not present disc-florets Involucral bracts color Green 138A Bloom Type Decorative Size Medium Fully expanded 5 cm Peduncle length 5 cm Peduncle color Yellow-green 148B Number of blooms per Approx. 12 blooms per branch branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey- brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Red 46A Mature Red 46A Color of upper surface of Red 46C the ray-florets Color of the lower surface Orange-red 34C of the ray-florets Tonality from distance A garden mum with red flowers Color of ray florets after Red 46D aging of the flowers Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 250 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of Straight majority Length of corolla tube 0.2 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2 cm Ray-floret width 0.6 cm Ratio length/width Medium Shape of tip Rounded Disc florets Absent Receptacle shape Domed raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Absent Pollen Not produced Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style length 4 mm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form A garden mum outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Compact and spreading Growth rate Strong Height 30 cm Width 40 cm Stem color Yellow-green 148A with streaks of Greyed- red 181C Stem strength Strong Stem brittleness Not brittle Stem anthocyanin Present Coloration Internode length 2.5 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 19 cm Lateral branch color Yellow-green 148A Lateral branch, attachment Strong Branching (average number Good with 10 breaks after pinching of lateral branches) Natural season blooming August 18-23 date Foliage Leaf color Upper side Yellow-green 147A Under side Green 138B Color midvein Upper side Green 138C Under side Yellow-green 148C Size Medium; length 5.5 cm, width 3.3 cm Quantity (number per 15-18 lateral branch) Shape Cordiform Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of base of sinus Rounded Between lateral lobes Margin of sinus between Diverging lateral lobes Shape of base Obtuse Apex Mucronate Petiole length 1 cm Petiole color Green 138C

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variery ‘Hercules’ ‘Dark Grenadine’ Flower size 5 cm 7 cm Color ray florets Red 46C Greyed-red 179A 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 